Arlington National Cemetery was originally designed to be the burial ground for American soldiers whose lives were lost during the Civil War. The cemetery is now over 639 acres and has approximately 400,000 tombstones. While most of the graves belong to American service personnel, including many famous military leaders, there are non-military people buried there as well.
Arlington National Cemetery pays tribute to individuals who excelled in other fields besides just the military. Among those are chief justices, journalists, nurses, explorers, and astronauts. Also, a number of notable actresses are interred there because they were married to people who served in the military.
To compile a list of some prominent individuals buried at Arlington National Cemetery who were not affiliated with the military, 24/7 Tempo referenced sources and websites that included Arlington National Cemetery and the National Women’s History Museum, as well as the Washington Examiner.
Some significant individuals laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery include Jane Delano, a nurse and relative of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who established the American Red Cross Nursing Service; Matthew Henson, the first African-American to reach the North Pole; Marguerite Higgins, a Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent; William Jennings Bryan, a former secretary of state; and astronauts Christa McAuliffe and Judith A. Resnik, both of whom tragically lost their lives in the Challenger space disaster.
The list also includes five actresses buried at Arlington – Fay Bainter, Constance Bennett, Phyllis Kirk, Priscilla Lane, and Maureen O’Hara, who were married to officers in the armed services.
These are some famous non-military people buried at Arlington Cemetery:
Anita Newcomb McGee (1864-1940)
Known for being the first female surgeon in the U.S. Army.
Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986)
Known for being the fiirst teacher in space. She was killed in the Challenger tragedy in 1986.
Clark Clifford (1906-1998)
Known for being Secretary of Defense under President Lyndon Johnson.
Constance Bennett (1904-1965)
Known for being actress in 1930s and ’40s. She was interred with her husband, Brig. Gen. Theron John Coulter, who served in the U.S. Air Force.
Fay Bainter (1893-1968)
Known for being an Oscar-winning actress. She was interred with her husband, Lt. Cmdr. Reginald Venable, who served in the U.S. Navy.
Harry Andrew Blackmun (1908-1999)
Known for serving as a Supreme Court justice.
Helen Herron “Nellie” Taft (1861-1943)
Known for being the First Lady and wife of President William Howard Taft.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994)
Known for being the First Lady and wife of President John F. Kennedy.
James Parks (1843-1929)
Known for being a freed slave, and was born on the grounds of the Arlington estate.
Jane Delano (1862-1919)
Known for being a nurse and the founder of the American Red Cross Nursing Service.
Judith A. Resnik (1949-1986)
Known for being an engineer and an astronaut. She was killed in the Challenger tragedy.
Marguerite Higgins (1920-1966)
Known for being a Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent. She was interred with her husband, Lt. Gen. William Evens Hall, who served in the U.S. Air Force.
Mary Randolph (1762-1828)
Known for being a distant cousin of Thomas Jefferson. She was the author of the pioneering American cookbook “The Virginia House-Wife.”
Matthew Henson (1866-1955)
Known for being an explorer and the first African-American to reach the North Pole.
Maureen O’Hara (1920-2015)
John Forsythe and Maureen OHara receive flowers on set of the film Everything But The Truth, 1956. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)
Known for being an actress from the 1930s through 1990s. She was interred with her husband, Brigadier General Charles F. Blair Jr., who served in the U.S. Air Force.
Phyllis Kirk (1927-2006)
Known for being and actress in the 1950s. She was interred with husband, producer Warren Bush, who served in the Army Air Forces during World War II.
Priscilla Lane (1915-1995)
Known for being an actress in the 1930s and ’40s. She was interred with her husband, Lt. Joseph A. Howard, who served in the Army Air Corps.
Ronald McNair (1950-1986)
Known for being a physicist and astronaut. He died in the Challenger tragedy.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)
Known for being a Supreme Court justice and liberal icon.
Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993)
Known for being the first African-American Supreme Court justice.
William Howard Taft (1857-1930)
Known for being the only person to serve as President of the United States and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925)
Known for being a politician and orator who ran for president three times and famously opposed the theory of evolution at the Scopes “Monkey Trial” of 1925.